East of the Barrier
by cplns
Summary: Milo March is utterly unremarkable. Becoming a champion would surely change that, right? Joined by the girl of his dreams, a boy who's not quite all there, and a young woman with a mysterious past, he sets out to make a name for himself in Kanto.
1. The Fate of Many Trainers

**0 – The Fate of Many Trainers**

"Are you scared?"

The cheering in the stadium and the pounding of Milo's heart nearly drowned out the question completely.

"I mean, I would be." Kio smiled at the sky, serenely ignoring the sick look on Milo's face. The summer wind blew his hair wildly, sticking it up and outward and into his eyes, and he did nothing to fix it. "It's the Pokémon League, you know. There are thousands _upon thousands _of people watching you, and you'll be on TV and everything. And I think most of your competitors are much more experienced that you are. And half your age..."

As Kio prattled off reasons to run screaming from the stadium, Milo stared past his face to that of a girl sitting next to him. Her intense eyes concentrated not on the waving flags and banners of the crowd, but on the empty field below them. Her hand rested lightly on a bag on the empty seat beside her.

"...your Pokémon could get hurt, you know. Competition at this level? There's bound to be some devastating attacks. And even if you somehow managed to get past preliminaries, do you really think you could -"

"He'll be fine."

The girl turned her head to meet Milo's gaze with the faintest trace of a smile. "You'll be fine," she repeated gently. The echo of Milo's heartbeat quieted just a little.

"Well, after everything we've been through," Kio said with a loud laugh, "you'd better win."

* * *

_Ah, the prologue of a thoroughly-exhausting 2010 NaNoWriMo Pokemon-flavored "novel". We all know I own nothing Pokemon, but this was a challenge I just had to take. Enjoy!_


	2. A Pure White Beginning

**1 – A Pure White Beginning**

Milo heard the distant voice, and from what he could tell it was addressing him, but he couldn't force it to register in his mind.

"...sure to take as many potions as you can carry, yeah? You can never have too many, make sure you don't run out. And antidotes -"

The colored labels of all the spray bottles in front of him swam and blended together into a rainbow of medicine he suddenly felt under-qualified to use. A pang of fear stabbed through his stomach. His mother didn't seem to notice.

"-antidotes, of course, don't want to get caught without those," she continued, reaching past his head to retrieve a gold bottle and bringing his attention back to the present.

"Antidotes," Milo echoed absently. "Right."

"You certainly are out of it this morning," his mother remarked without looking away from the shelves. Being the manager of the Viridian City Pokémart must have had its advantages for her, Milo realized – not only did she know exactly where everything was, but she also had an idea of how much other new trainers usually bought from her, being at the starting point of most of their journeys. Not to mention being able to fund the first leg of her son's own Pokémon journey for the low, low cost of free.

She ruffled his hair as she added, "Don't let Professor Oak see you like this. He might give you a Slowpoke to match."

Milo grumbled half a retort as she walked away to grab as much Pokémon repellant as she could hold, too absorbed in his fears and daydreams to form a coherent sentence. It was true that the day found him more frazzled than usual. The days before had passed with little fanfare, and even this, the morning of the day he was set to receive his start Pokémon from Professor Samuel Oak, was uneventful. But the closer the time came to leaving home on his own, the more terrifying the scenarios that ran through his head became. He was now up to being trampled by a rampaging Snorlax the minute he step foot out of Pallet Town.

As he turned to follow his mother to the counter where she stood, Milo stumbled over someone significantly smaller than himself. A small gift stared back up at him, no more than seven, her pigtails sticking out from her head at awkward angles. They shared a few moments of silence before she asked, "Aren't you too old for that?"

"Er," Milo said. "What?"

"Aren't you too old to start a Pokémon journey?"

"Me?"

"Yes, you. You're old. Too old," the girl replied with her hands on her hips.

Milo felt his face redden and burn in annoyance. "I'm only nineteen!"

She gasped. "You could be my granddad!"

Silence.

"You're supposed to be a Pokémon master _before _you get old."

Milo scowled. His eye twitched slightly as the girl's father came, apologizing, to retrieve her. It was true, he was willing to admit, that he was starting out much later than most other Pokémon trainers, but "better late than never" his mother had said, and who was to say he _wouldn't _succeed? He hadn't been able to leave home before, but now seemed as good a time as any to set out and make a name for himself. To finally be good at something. Maybe even great.

He finally regained his senses enough to make his way to the front of the store where his mother waited. They joked together as they packed the last of his new belongings into his backpack; she reminded him, giggling, to shower as often as he could remember without her guidance. Zipping up the last compartment of the bag, she sighed and looked at her son.

"Take care of your father's Growlithe, okay?" she said, motioning towards the small Pokéball attached to Milo's belt. He nodded once.

"And... take care of yourself," she added. Her eyes began to tear up, and she put her hand on Milo's cheek. "Please. Be careful."

_"Please. Be okay."_

"I'll be fine," Milo said, rolling his eyes. "I'm grown."

_He felt the warm hand on his cold cheek, and heard the tears hitting the pillow beside his head. He hated when she did that. The wet pillow made his neck itch. He managed a small nod and liked his lips before whispering, "I'm trying."_

_ "Try harder. Okay? Because I can't... lose anyone else. Okay? Try harder. You have to be okay. Please."_

_ Another nod. Her crying always made him more tired, but it was the only way he saw her anymore._

"Try your hardest," Milo's mother said, "but be careful. You can always come home." She kissed his forehead, shakily wiped away the tears that had been threatening to spill over. She checked her watch, and Milo noticed her eyes widen slightly.

"We need to go," she said, taking up her keys as he took his bag.

"What time is it?"

"We'll be a little late getting to Pallet Town," his mother said, not quite answering the question, "but I'll drive fast. It'll be fine, you won't miss a thing."

_Good, not too late_, Milo thought thankfully as he slipped into Professor Oak's laboratory, trying to make a little noise as possible.

As the door clicked shut, a voice whispered behind him. "Half an hour late to your first day as a trainer? Not a good start, is it?" Milo spun to see a tall, scrawny man in thick glasses and a white coat; he guessed the man was one of Oak's lab aides.

"Sorry," he muttered, feeling his cheeks flush. He scooted himself further into the lab before the aide could respond.

There were already about twenty people in the lab. Most looked to be around Milo's age, late teens or early twenties, although one man near the front of the crowd had to be at least in his fifties. Some of the people were sitting, some standing, but all were listening with rapt attention to the Pokémon Professor.

"...will not be easy. You will face many trials and challenges, and at times you may feel like giving up," Oak was saying to the quiet group. "However, the joys of raising, strengthening and caring for your new Pokémon will more than make up for it in the end. Now let's go! A world of dreams and adventures with Pokémon awaits!"

The crowd applauded lightly as the professor stepped aside. His aide drew their attention towards the door, announcing, "Alright, trainers! You have all the information you need to begin your journeys. In a few minutes, you will be called forward to choose your starter Pokémon and receive your Pokédex. Please make yourselves comfortable outside while you wait to hear your name..."

Milo looked around in panic at the other trainers collecting their things and filing out of the room. Had he really missed every word, every instruction Oak had given to the new trainers? Could he maybe find Oak, ask for a private repetition... of the entire half-hour speech? Milo shook his head; he knew right away how ridiculous that idea was. Maybe he could just pretend he already knew everything he needed to know. Training couldn't be _that _difficult, could it? Ten-year-olds started all the time.

His mind reeling, Milo caught his reflection in the window. He felt something must have changed now that he was almost officially a Pokémon trainer – his unassuming face should be tougher, his wide blue eyes should be ablaze with a champion's bravery, his silver hair should be flying dramatically in the wind as though he carried a fan at all times. But his eyes were still the childlike blue saucers they had always been. He still looked young for his age, and his hair still fell limply in front of his eyes. Nothing about him screamed hero.

Milo tore his gaze away from the window. Grabbing his bag, he started to follow the crowd, tripping slightly on his long pants legs. He frowned as he realized his status as a new trainer also did nothing to help his lack of coordination.

The professor's aides called names and checked off lists on clipboards while Milo stepped outside. Last name, first name. One by one, people stepped inside and emerged moments later as trainers, looking positively elated at their choice of starter Pokémon, clutching their new Pokéballs as though they had found long-lost treasure. Last name, first name.

Milo sat alone on a bench near the lab entrance. His stomach felt funny.

While he waited, Milo pulled a crumpled and torn pamphlet from his pocket and skimmed it idly. **LIVE YOUR OWN POKEMON ADVENTURE! i**t declared in big, bold letters on the cover. On the inside, the words **Be a Pokémon master! **arced over the picture of a smiling Pikachu.

Milo had been very lucky to find this program. One meant for people who, for whatever reason, were a bit late in starting their Pokémon journeys, who hadn't been able to join their young peers in traveling before they were teenagers. It made it easier to know that he wouldn't be the only one to lose to a couple of kids. His mother had left the leaflet on his desk along with a note asking him to "please think about this wonderful opportunity, and don't forget to go to the market for me later."

He didn't need to think about it at all. To be a master trainer, able to command any of the strongest Pokémon and to rise above any challenge – who needed to think about that?

"Amazing, isn't it?" a voice rang out next to him. Milo jumped. No one had been near him, he had thought, but the boy sitting next to him rested as though he'd been there forever.

"Uh... I'm sorry, what's amazing?" Milo asked. The boy responded with an unsettling, lopsided smile.

"This! What Oak is doing!" he said, his pink hair flying in all directions and his bright purple eyes brimming with anticipation. "The opportunity to travel around the world, catching Pokémon, picking berries, exploring ruins..."

"Ruins?"

Milo eyed this boy suspiciously, his glance moving from his bright hair and wide eyes down to his mismatched clothes: oranges clashed with bright blues and lime greens. A miniature Onix plush, tied into a precarious knot, served as his ill-fitting belt. All the vivid colors and patterns of his outfit made Milo a bit uneasy.

"You have Pokémon already?" he asked, pointing at the 'belt' from which two Pokéballs dangled. The boy nodded proudly, and his hair swayed with the breeze.

"But... this program is only for first-time trainers." Milo was a bit irritated (who was this boy to have such an advantage over the other trainers before their journeys even began?) until he remembered the lone Pokéball dangling from his own belt.

The boy only nodded again.

"So, uh... what's your name?" Milo asked, attempting to hide his annoyance, but the pink-haired boy didn't seem to hear him. Instead, he stared blankly at the sky; you could see the clouds reflected in his eyes. Milo sighed. Of course he wouldn't get an answer.

"March, Milo!"

He jumped again, and all the fears of the past few days came rushing back at once. Grateful for a reason to leave the strange boy, Milo stood.

"Well, it was, er, nice to meet you," he muttered, walking away. The boy didn't acknowledge him, but asked, still watching the clouds, if Milo thought Dragonites liked cherri berries.

Milo reached the laboratory door and his stomach did a few somersaults. Here he was, getting ready to start the adventure of his life, and it would all start with one choice. One choice could decide his whole future.

As he reached for the handle, the door swung open, nearly hitting him in the nose. A figure swept past, tall and graceful, unaware of the damage almost done to his face. There was a rustle of a long skirt, a whiff of flowers from long auburn hair. Milo spun around, flustered.

"Sitara?"

The girl turned as well, and her skirt billowed and fluttered around her. "Milo, hey!" Sitara smiled brightly. "I didn't know you'd be here, too. I haven't seen you since school ended! How are you?"

"I-I, um, fine. Fine." Milo suddenly found it impossible to make eye contact. "I'm fine. You?"

"Great!" She held up a Pokéball; there was a bright green sticker in the shape of a leaf on it. "Starting out with a new Pokémon, my new Bulbasaur. This is going to be so much fun. Which one are you going to pick, Milo?"

"Oh! Um, well..."

He truthfully hadn't thought too much about it. In all the excitement, every daydream about his travels had had a different Pokémon in it. "I-I actually already kinda have one, but, um-"

"March, Milo!" Oak's aide appeared at the door again, his index finger only inches away and pointed at Milo's face. "You. Are you Milo?"

Milo nodded. Gesturing weakly at Sitara, he stammered, "I – just talking-" Great. There went his ability to form coherent sentences again, as well.

"Come on, then, we can't wait all day," the aide said abruptly, striding back into the lab.

Sitara grinned and pointed at the door. "Go! You can't start a Pokémon journey without a Pokémon."

Smiling apologetically, Milo waved to her and followed the aide inside. The whole laboratory was white and sterile; he was afraid to touch anything for fear of ruining an experiment or accidentally unleashing a mutant Pokémon into the world. Complex-looking machines lined the walls, their lights blinking and their fans whirring, and thick books were piled onto every table. Milo idly thought they'd make good stepladders. Across the room, Professor Oak was laughing at a videophone screen with a young boy in a red cap on it.

The aide crossed something off of his clipboard as they stopped in front of a table. On it stood three nondescript Pokéballs, each on its own platform. "So?"

"So?"

"So which one do you choose?" the aide asked impatiently, tapping his pen on the clipboard.

"I don't get to talk to Professor Oak first?"

"The professor is a very busy man," the aide said. "He doesn't have time to talk to every trainer that comes through here." Milo heard Oak laugh again in the background.

"Oh," he said.

The two stared at each other for a few moments before the aide sighed, pinching the bridge of his nose. "Look, kid, I'm going to need you to choose a Pokémon. There are still eight people after you who would probably like to get one today."

"Um, well..." Milo's mind raced. This could be the most important decision he would ever make. Oak's assistant should have some sympathy for that, right? Finally, he settled on his choice. "I think a Staryu would be the perfect Pokémon for me!" he yelled, making a triumphant fist.

"Haha," the aide said dryly; he did not look at all amused. "Kid, were you not listening to anything Oak said? Three choices: Bulbasaur, Charmander, Squirtle. That's it. Choose one before I choose for you."

"Oh," Milo said again. For a split second, he was crushed: the perfect Pokémon, shot down completely. But he recovered just as quickly. Those three weren't so bad, after all, and they all evolved into awesome Pokémon. With the tapping of the pen to the clipboard as the rhythm, Milo played the quickest, most silent game of Eenie Meenie Minie Mo he had ever played. Closing his eyes, he answered.

"Squirtle. I'll choose Squirtle."

"Finally." The aide grabbed the Pokéball furthest to the right and shoved it into Milo's outstretched hands, along with a shiny red contraption the size of a cell phone. "Here's your new Pokédex, congratulations on your new Pokémon, I'm sure you'll become the best of friends, blah blah. Good luck, kid. I get the feeling you're going to need it."

Milo did his best to ignore this comment. The next name was called as he reached the front door ("Ocean, Jimmy" – wonder what this one was going to pick). What did it matter what this guy said? Suddenly, Milo was the most powerful man in the world, able to take on any challenge and overcome any barrier. Because now he had his first – well, second – Pokémon, and nothing could get in his way.

As he left, he found Sitara sitting on the ground near the door, absently examining a leaf. "Hey," he greeted her again. "Were you going to go back and ask them a question or something? You may not want to, that guy was a real jerk."

She raised her eyebrows. "Really? He was really nice to me."

Milo shifted uncomfortably.

"Actually," Sitara continued, "I did want to ask a question, but to you." She suddenly looked as pink as Milo felt he must look around her. "Um… well, since we're both just starting out, you know, and I'd expect a journey around the world has gotta get, well, kinda lonely sometimes…" The leaf twirled with a new nervous intensity between her fingers. "And I figure, we already know each other from school, so it's better than going with strangers…"

Milo hung on every rambled word.

"So maybe we could… I mean, I could… _accompany _you on your travels?" she finished breathlessly.

He blinked and found he needed no time to think it over. "Of course! Of course, we can go together!"

He blinked again. They both blushed deeper at the words.

"I mean, not go _together_," Milo spluttered. "But go. Together. On a journey. Yeah. That'd be amazing."

"Great, I'll go, too!" a voice that was not Sitara's said. Milo turned and jumped again. A mane of pink hair appeared beneath his nose.

"Kio? What are you doing here?" Sitara asked. Milo gaped at her.

"You know him?" he asked, pointing at the boy who stared serenely over their heads.

"He was a year above us in school. Blew up the science wing the year he graduated."

"That was him? I got out of Pokébiology for a week because of that."

"Yep, that was me," Kio said proudly, slinging a knapsack over his shoulder, "and I would be honored to be associated with your ragtag team of travelers."

Sitara and Milo exchanged a sideways glance. If ever Milo were to develop telepathy, now would be the perfect time; he practically yelled his thoughts to her. _This guy can't go with us! Not when it was just going to be the two of us. He can't ruin that…_

"Don't you… need to get a Pokémon first?" Sitara asked. Milo's internal pleas turned to a string of _no, no, no, no. _"I mean, you haven't been called yet, have you?"

"Oh, I'm not here to pick a starter," Kio said, motioning to the Pokéballs fastened to his Onix-belt. "I visit Oak's lab whenever there's a new group of trainers starting out. I just love watching the looks on their faces. So exciting, huh?"

Kio looked back and forth between Milo and Sitara's speechless faces. "You two, especially. You looked ecstatic. Which is why I choose to trek with you. I need trainer companions who are passionate about their craft."

_No, you need companions who aren't us. _"I just think that the two of us -"

"We'll be happy to have you," Sitara said warmly. Milo's face dropped; Kio's brightened.

"Great, then we're ready!"

Milo stammered, but Kio was already jogging up the road, a lively smile on his face.

Sitara turned her pale green eyes from Kio to Milo and shrugged. "More the merrier. He'll… make it fun, at least?" she offered. When he said nothing, she grabbed his wrist and started to drag him along the road as well. "Come on. We'll start on our way to Viridian this afternoon, stock up on everything we need at the Pokémart there. Then… well, who knows after then?"

Milo grinned in spite of their new companion. He had a new journey ahead of him, and someone to take that journey with: the girl he'd had his eye on through countless days of classes, the girl who somehow caused every room to smell of fresh linens and flowers…

"Hurry up!" Kio yelled from in front of them. "I need to buy some Clefairy dolls to leave in Viridian Forest. Kakuna like dolls, they need some fun in their lives..."

The sun beat down on the limits of Pallet Town and glittered in the leaves of the trees on the horizon ahead. Milo adjusted his backpack and wiped the sweat off his forehead. Of course he had to pick a ridiculously hot day to carry ridiculously heavy pack. He scowled at the sun.

Sitara sat in the grass behind him, rearranging the last of her supplies in her bag. Her hair was loosely tied up with an olive ribbon to match the skirt splayed out around her, and the curls that escaped framer her face as she called out to Milo. "You know, we haven't properly said hello to our new Pokémon!"

He realized she was right. "I haven't even seen Squirtle yet," he said. "The Pokéball could be empty for all I know." Taking the Pokéball from his pocket, he pressed the white button to enlarge it; she did the same.

"Squirtle, go!"

"Go, Bulbasaur!"

There were two jets of red light, and Bulbasaur and Squirtle appeared in front of their trainers. Squirtle inched up to Milo with an inquisitive look on its face. "Hi, Squirtle," Milo said, kneeling and cautiously extending a hand towards his new Pokémon. "I'm Milo. I'm your new trainer."

Squirtle looked at his hand suspiciously.

"It's nice to meet you!" he said through a forced smile.

Squirtle took a step backwards.

Glancing up from Squirtle, Milo saw Sitara hugging Bulbasaur. It extended its vines and seemed to hug her back. They both looked positively elated. Milo sighed.

Squirtle lost interest in its strange new owner and wandered towards Kio, who was in the process of feeding his own Pokémon. Farfetch'd and Butterfree flew around, waiting as Kio poured food into small bowls.

"Lunchtime, guys!" Kio said. "Squirtle and Bulbasaur, you're welcome, too!" There were sounds of glee as the Pokémon all flew and trotted towards Kio. Squirtle gave Kio's arm an affectionate nudge before burying its face in a bowl of pellets.

Milo sat in the warm dirt, defeated. He hadn't done anything wrong, right? Especially nothing for Squirtle to hate him so soon. And yet Squirtle seemed to resent having him as a trainer, and it had liked Kio so fast…

He felt Sitara's skirt and a cool breeze brush his arm as she knelt next to him. They watched the Pokémon eat in silence for a while before she said, "It's okay. Sometimes it takes a while for Pokémon to get used to their new trainers. I'm sure it'll warm up to you soon enough."

Milo said nothing. He felt a twinge of jealousy for the girl who had gotten a hug from the Pokémon she had just met that morning.

"I heard that Ketchum kid's Charizard even tried to kill him a few times," Sitara offered after a little while longer, sensing that her attempts to make her friend feel better weren't working. She frowned when Milo didn't laugh, and the two of them watched the Pokémon eat for a while longer.

"Hey, we should have a battle, huh?" she asked suddenly. "Our first one ever! Maybe when Squirtle sees what a good trainer you are, it'll respect you more."

Milo felt the tops of his ears burning. Sitara thought he was a good trainer? "Maybe. But are you sure -"

Before he could finish his question, she stood and ran a few yards away from Milo. "Bulbasaur, come on!" she called. "We're gonna show Milo here how it's done!"

"Um – you, too, Squirtle!" Milo tried to tack a commanding edge to his voice. "Time to battle!"

"I wouldn't do that," Kio said in a sing-songy voice. Milo pointedly ignored him.

Squirtle and Bulbasaur both stood in front of their trainers, poised for battle. Bulbasaur's vines slithered just outside of its bulb. "Ladies first!" Milo yelled to his adversary.

Thirty seconds later, Sitara was kneeling on the ground over Squirtle, who was trembling half in fear and half in pain. "Oh, I knew that would be too much," she groaned, spraying a potion on it. "Oh, I'm sorry, Squirtle, I didn't mean to hurt you…"

Milo stood in shock, watching Sitara take care of his Pokémon. "I lost," he said faintly.

"You beyond lost," Kio piped up happily. "You were destroyed! It was like watching a Snorlax sit on a Caterpie."

Milo silently watched as Sitara finished spraying the potion and patted his Squirtle on its head. Squirtle nudged her hand in thanks and glared at Milo before returning to its food bowl. Eyes pointed at the ground, Milo turned back towards Pallet Town and started walking.

"Hey, where are you going?" Sitara asked. Milo couldn't stand the pity in her voice.

"There's something I forgot to take care of in town," he said, not stopping or looking back. "I'll be back soon. We can leave for Viridian City when I get back. I'll only be a minute."

As he walked away, he heard Kio say, "We should just go. He's not coming back."

Milo found himself walking all the way back to Professor Oak's lab. He sat cross-legged on a bench underneath the front window, gritting his teeth. _My first battle, _he thought bitterly, _and I lost within a minute. Did I pick the wrong Pokémon? Or maybe…_

_ Maybe I'm just not cut out for this._

The thought struck him like a brick, and he almost didn't notice the window banging open behind his head. He looked up and saw Oak's aide staring back at him.

"You again, kid? You came back already?" The aide shook his head disapprovingly. "Even quicker than I thought. You know, kid, with all the new trainers that come through here, I can usually tell who's going to make it and who won't.

"Maybe you should just go home."

The words hung in the air as the window shut again, leaving Milo more dejected than before.

Had he made a mistake, trying to be like his dad? He knew talent didn't run in families, but it seemed impossible that he hadn't inherited at least a bit of his father's. Taking his Pokéball from his pouch, Milo hesitated before releasing the Pokémon inside.

"Hey, Growlithe," he said sadly, scratching the dog-like Pokémon behind the ears. "Hope you couldn't hear what happened in there."

Growlithe tilted its head inquisitively. The bell on its maroon collar tinkled. "Growl?"

The feel of Growlithe's fur running through his fingers comforted Milo. He felt his muscles relaxing and the faintest trace of a smile on his face. "You don't need to know. Just… Dad had it all mixed up. He gave you to me for me to watch you. I really think _you're_ going to have to help _me_."

Growlithe licked his face in response, and Milo laughed in spite of himself.

"We're gonna go," he explained, kneeling so that his face was only a foot away from Growlithe's, "on a trip. A long one. We won't be home for a while. We have people to go with, though, so that's good. And maybe we'll find Dad, who knows?"

Milo paused a while before continuing. "But I _do _know, when this is all over – everyone in Kanto will know who we are."

Growlithe licked his face again; apparently Milo's plan sounded like a good one.

"Come on," Milo said, slinging his bag over his shoulder. "We're gonna get started."


	3. Evergreen

**2 – Evergreen**

The rain beat down on the leaves dangling overhead and splashed onto the Pokémon that were scrambling for cover below. Milo March angrily wiped the water from his eyes. Hadn't it just been bright and sunny, the perfect start to a new journey? Viridian's weather couldn't be that different from Pallet Town's. The one thing that hadn't changed was the heat – still stifling. For the worse, even, because now the forest path felt like a veritable rainforest.

Milo followed slightly behind Sitara and Kio, his new companions. Kio seemed completely unfazed by the rain. He hummed a little song to himself and let the rain hit his face with a smile.

Ignoring Kio, Milo focused instead on the figure of the girl ahead of him. The rain had plastered Sitara's long brown hair to her face and neck despite her efforts to keep it out of the way. The bottom hem of her flowing olive skirt was muddy from being dragged along the path. Even though Milo couldn't see her face from behind, he figured she must have been miserable. Maybe he'd buy her an umbrella when they reached town.

Sitara Mallow, Milo decided as the wet branches scratched at his arms and legs, had to be one of the most captivating creatures in Kanto. Even when they were in school together, he had turned bright pink and dropped things just walking past her. He had even developed a sudden interest in the history of human-Pokémon interaction when he found out her senior year's schedule. That interest had quickly turned into an interest in staring at the back of her head longingly. He had failed that class, and said maybe 5 words to Sitara the entire semester.

A snag on his pants leg, and Milo found the muddy ground rushing towards his face much faster than it should have been. He caught himself on a branch just as Sitara and Kio spun around, and laughed nervously. "Just – a branch -" He tried to form a coherent sentence as Sitara grinned at him. He gave up and kept walking.

The silence between the group verged on awkward. Kio's humming grated on Milo's ears. If they were really friends, Milo thought, and they would be traveling together for months – years, even! – shouldn't they at least be able to talk to each other? He tried to think of a joke about how he'd been slaughtered in his first Pokémon battle. He gave up again and kept walking.

The three walked some more; the rain kept falling. Sitara wrung out her hair again and coughed.

"When are we getting to Viridian City?" Kio spoke up. The forest suddenly felt empty without his humming. "I have something I need to do there."

Sitara said, "I don't know. Half an hour, maybe. Longer if we find any Pokémon to catch. If they're not all finding shelter from the rain."

Milo, grateful for a reason to talk, asked, "What do you need to do in Viridian?"

Kio didn't answer. Instead he started humming again. Milo resigned himself to staring at the back of Sitara's head once more.

A few more minutes passed in silence. The rhythm of Kio's song grated against the pitter-patter of the rain. He began to pray for their arrival in the city. Maybe with a change of scenery, there would be an excuse for a conversation. He heard a rustling off to his side. Spinning around, he caught a flash of purple emerging from the brush.

"A Rattata!" he exclaimed. The rat Pokémon stopped and stared at him suspiciously.

"Hey, it is!" Sitara breathed. "You know what you gotta do, Milo March."

"I gotta catch it," Milo declared, reaching into his pouch and pulling out an empty Pokéball. "Pokéball, g-"

His aim was off. The Pokéball smacked the side of a nearby tree and fell into a pile of wet leaves. The Rattata scurried back into the brush.

Kio snorted. "I don't think that tree is a Pokémon. I mean, there _are _tree Pokémon, but…"

"Shut up," Milo muttered. "The Rattata just dodged really fast."

Fifteen more minutes passed in silence, even without Kio's humming, until Sitara eyed Kio with disbelief and said, "Tree Pokémon?"

"Yeah, tree Pokémon," Kio answered, nodding at the treetops. "Well, rocks, really. No one believes me when I say they're rocks..."

The rain let up just as the group entered Viridian's outskirts. Over the city, the sky was still gray, threatening a second round. Sitara sighed and wrung out her hair again, tying it up into a long, limp ponytail.

"Hey, there's the gym!" she exclaimed, pointing at a towering building on the horizon. Milo squinted at it; even though he had lived in Viridian City all his life, the gym suddenly looked much bigger and more intimidating.

"I can't wait to get there." Milo clenched his fist and grinned. He heard Kio snort behind him.

"You're gonna have to. Viridian Gym's been closed for a long while. The leader disappeared three years ago. No one knows who the new leader is -"

"Or even if there is one," Sitara added. "You've lived in Viridian for years, right? You didn't know?"

Before an embarrassed Milo had a chance to respond, Kio interrupted. "It's a bad idea anyway. You wouldn't win."

Annoyance flared up in Milo once more. "Who says?"

"Common sense. You've had one battle, and you lost after one attack. Plus, the Viridian Gym is usually the last one trainers challenge, if they challenge it at all. A lot of trainers just… give up there." Kio grinned up at the clouds.

Both Sitara and Milo stared at the gym in silence. There was a sinking feeling in Milo's stomach, one that told him this could be the place where his Pokémon journey would end. Why, again, didn't they leave Kio back in Pallet Town?

Sitara cleared her throat and smiled softly. "We don't want to think about that now, do we? It'll be months before we're back here, and we'll be ready for whoever is the leader when that day comes."

"No, you won't," Kio said before the sense of preemptive triumph could engulf Milo and Sitara. "Come on. We have to get to the Pokémon Center."

The three companions slowed as they approached the Pokémon Center; a police motorcycle was parked just outside of the door, forcing them to squeeze to even fit through. "Did something happen?" Sitara wondered aloud, and Milo had no answer for her.

Officer Jenny stood, leaning over the counter with her blue hair spilling out of her hat. Although her voice was light, there was a graveness to her voice. "...characters in town."

Joy gasped slightly. "You don't think it's -"

"It's probably nothing too serious, but you will let me know if you see or hear anything, right?" Nurse Joy nodded.

"Of course, I will," she said, but Milo could tell as he got closer that her smile was forced. "But, to be perfectly honest with you, I think you're blowing this a bit out of proportion. I haven't heard anything -"

"This is just a precaution, of course," Officer Jenny said, saluting her goodbyes, "but make sure to be careful."

"Of course -" Nurse Joy's smile grew even faker. "-but could you be careful to use the driveway again, please?"

Officer Jenny smiled and nodded at Milo as she walked out of the Pokémon Center; he and Sitara exchanged concerned looks. "I'm sure it's nothing," he tried to reassure her. "Especially if the police are – where you going?"

Kio was ambling towards the far side of the room, towards a smiling, waving woman. Milo couldn't decide whether her hair was purple or dark red. Without breaking his stride or looking back, Kio said, "I had to do something, remember? I'll be back soon enough." He and the woman both laughed although they had shared no joke, and walked up the stairs into the Center's upper lounge.

Milo couldn't help himself. "Quick, if we leave now, we can lose him." Sitara giggled, but hit his arm in mock disapproval.

"Come on, he's nice!" she said. "A little clueless, maybe. But he'll be a help to have around – he doesn't look it, but he's really smart. Top of his class when he graduated."

He couldn't hide the skepticism on his face. Without saying anything more, he and Sitara dropped their Pokémon off with Nurse Joy, who told them there would be a bit of a wait, and that "the one with the pink hair had the right idea."

Milo's nerves prickled. Here was his chance to have a private conversation with Sitara, his first real conversation without teachers telling him to pay attention or pink-haired brats asking him about berries. So why did he wish he were back in the forest with Kio's humming to occupy their ears?

The two agreed to stop at a vending machine for a snack, but when Milo offered to pay, Sitara merely waved him away and went searching for change in a coin purse that was filled with what looked to be very large bills. Before he could properly object, she sat on a padded bench holding a bag of Magmar's Flame Chips. Milo sat next to her, resting his head on the wall behind them.

"So are you going to visit home?" Sitara asked between crunches. "One last visit before you leave?"

"Nah," Milo answered. "We said goodbye already – my mom and I – and I don't want to make her cry again. How about you?"

"I might, when we get there. I'm from Cerulean originally," she added when she saw the quizzical look on Milo's face.

"But – you went to school here every day."

"Boarded. A family took me in two years ago, because my parents didn't want me to go to school back home. I was only in Cerulean three months out of the year. I feel like I know my host family better than my own." The two shared an awkward chuckle, and there was a long silence as Sitara finished her chips.

"Tell me about your family," Sitara asked finally.

"Er, well – there's not much to tell," Milo admitted. "It's just me and my mom, really. No idea where my dad is. Haven't seen him since I was... seven? Eight? My mom owns the Pokémart here, though, so I help -"

"Ready!" Kio sprang down the stairs again, this time alone. As he approached, Milo noticed a third new Pokéball dangling from Kio's Onix-belt, but before he could ask he was interrupted. "We should get going. There's not much we can do in Viridian yet. The forest is much more your speed," he added with a nod towards Milo, who frowned and raised an eyebrow. He begrudgingly stood and prepared to make his way out of the town in which he had spent his entire life.

"Here's the plan."

Milo stood with his hands on his hips; he felt very authoritative. The log he was standing on to make himself taller helped.

"There's hundreds of different types of Pokémon in the Viridian Forest-"

"No, there aren't." Kio lay on the ground, leaves tangled in his pink hair, staring unblinking at the sky.

"-and this is probably our best chance to get the most Pokémon from one place -"

"No, it's not."

Milo glowered at him. "_So. _We travel part of the forest today, catch all the Pokémon we can -"

"And rock trees."

The log suddenly didn't feel very sturdy. Milo's ears burned when he heard Sitara laugh, and he had to force himself to continue. "Back to the Pokémon Center tonight to rest up, and then we start to make our way through the forest again on our way to Pewter City. Sound good?"

"No," Kio said, standing and slinging his pack across his back, "but you won't let us do anything else."

They ventured into Viridian Forest, Milo leading the pack. The trip was as quiet as it had been that morning, but much more comfortable for Milo. No matter what Kio said, he was going to enjoy this outing, and catch as many Pokémon as he possibly could doing it.

Three hours later, the trip felt much less comfortable, and much more irritating. Although Milo won his first battle, it was against a Caterpie, which only served to annoy him more; and he had wasted 4 Pokéballs in an attempt to catch others. Kio, not even trying to catch any Pokémon, spent the first part of the trip prattling on about the history of Pokéballs and the technology needed for them to work.

Sitara, though, looked positively elated. Her first expedition had been a success, netting her a brand-new Pidgey. As soon as she had caught it she let it out again, allowing the Pidgey to fly above them all as they walked. Every so often she looked up, smiling brightly at her new friend.

It was late evening when Pidgey flew down and landed on Sitara's shoulder, tired but exhilarated. "He has the right idea," Milo said. "I'm kinda tired, too."

"We should probably get back to Viridian," Sitara agreed, calling her new Pokémon back to its Pokéball. "It'll be dark soon, and we have to get back to the Pokémon Center before curfew." She handed a map of Kanto to Kio. "Lead the way."

"I don't think we're getting out of here tonight."

They had been wandering around for hours. The sky started to darken overhead, and every part of the forest had started to look exactly the same.

"Oh, don't say that," Sitara whined. "It's not completely dark yet -"

"Yeah -" Kio leaned over and picked up a piece of paper out of the dirt. "-but here's the map I dropped about an hour ago."

Milo groaned. "So _that's _why we've been going in circles?" Kio shrugged in response.

"I didn't think we needed it."

"I guess we'll just spend the night here," Sitara said with a sigh. "It's safer than wandering around in the dark."

Agreeing, the group sat down their packs and began to clear a space for camp. Milo quickly remembered that he had never been camping before, once he had to ask Sitara how to set up the tent. She gladly switched jobs with him, every so often giving him instructions punctuated with "you see?". Kio's humming grew louder as the sky grew darker; Milo found himself wishing for the crescendo to come, or the sun to rise, as soon as possible.

With the camp set up comfortably and the fire roaring between them, Milo, Sitara and Kio all settled down for the night. Milo sat cross-legged atop his sleeping bag while the other two huddled around a pot of stew boiling in the fire pit, making small talk. Kio stood to stir the pot, still holding the map he had picked up out of the dirt.

"Put that away," Sitara said lightly. "It's too dark to read the map, anyway. We'll figure out where we're going tomorrow."

"I don't like feeling lost," Kio said, looking back at Sitara with a slight grin, stirring with one hand and holding the rolled-up sheet of paper in the other. "Need to know where I am at all times."

"Don't like feeling-?" Milo started in exasperation. He gave up and rested his head on his knees, allowing the smell of the soup to wash over him, preparing him for a good –

"Kio, look out!"

At Sitara's yell, Milo's head snapped up again. Kio still stood next to the fire, but the map in his hand was now half engulfed in tall flames. Calmly, Kio regarded the fire with a quiet admiration and tossed the paper into the fire pit.

"What did you do that for?" Milo yelled. Kio responded with a shrug.

"Dropped it."

"Are you alright?" Sitara asked worriedly, rushing over to inspect his hand. He didn't move while she turned his hands over in hers, looking for any signs of burns, but laughed.

"Fire can't hurt me," he said, giggling. He turned to stir the stew one last time. "Don't need it anyway. Dinner's ready."

Gloomy over the loss of their map, it took Milo a few minutes to calm down enough to even have a bowl. Sitara called out Pidgey, feeding it vegetables from her bowl as it sat, cooing, on her shoulder. Milo figured Kio had forgotten that there was even food to be had, as he stood at the edge of the campsite staring up at the stars, unmoving.

There was a long silence, save the clanking of silverware and Milo's slurps. But, Milo noted, for the first time, the quiet wasn't uncomfortable, just appreciative of a good meal and a place to rest. When he finished the last chunks of meat in the bottom of his bowl, he looked around, still trying to grasp his new surroundings.

Kio was still standing in the same position, but his hand began to inch tensely towards his Onix-belt, as though preparing to battle. The eerie sight caused Milo to pause, listening for any sign that he may have missed. They stood this way for a few moments, listening and waiting.

There was a rustling behind them, and all three companions froze; after a few more minutes of listening and hearing nothing, Milo and Sitara relaxed. Milo guessed it was just Kio's odd behavior putting them all on edge.

"We should battle again, Milo," Sitara offered finally. "One last time, get some training in before b-"

A crash sounded behind them; Kio's grip tightened on his Pokéball. As Milo spun around, he caught a glimpse of a streak of gray and almost recoiled from it until he realized it was a young woman, maybe only a bit older than himself, falling weakly to the ground.

Sitara was the first to rush forward to help. "Are you alright?" she asked, her voice fraught with worry, reaching out to make sure the girl didn't fall again.

The girl only brushed her off and stood up on her own. "Fine – I'm fine."

The first thing Milo noticed about her was her stature: short and slender, even standing her tallest she couldn't have come to the middle of Milo's chest, and that was with the help of her high-heeled black boots. Although she was tiny, she was intimidating. Her jacket, as far as Milo could tell in the dark, included a short gray cape and hood. The hood shrouded her face in shadows, and bits of dark hair flew out around the sides.

"Are you sure?" Milo asked, coming forwards as well. "Maybe you should rest some." The girl looked unsteady on her feet, as if she had been traveling for years and could collapse at any moment. He and Sitara reached the girl and helped her to a seat in front of the fire. Her knees buckled beneath her a few times, and she sighed with relief when she could sit at last.

"I'm sorry, I should go," she said, a bit out of breath. She pushed back her hood and her hair, once styled in an up-do, spilled out all over the place. "I just—I got lost, and..." The girl trailed off and her eyes fluttered. She took a deep, steadying breath and put her head between her knees.

"When was the last time you ate?" Sitara asked, already filling a bowl with stew.

The girl shook her head uncertainly. "Um... a couple days ago?"

Sitara eagerly handed her the bowl and began to ask another question, but Kio interrupted. "What's your name?"

"Dahlia," the girl said between bites. She ate quickly, as though she expected someone to steal the bowl from her at any moment. "Dahlia Larks."

Her eyes shifted between the three of them, as though questioning... what? If they could be trusted with her name? Milo saw that Kio still eyed this Dahlia with suspicion, but he could find no inherent reason to distrust her.

Sitara kept asking Dahlia questions as she ate, but Dahlia, too busy chewing to give proper answers, only gave one-word responses. Yes, she was lost; no, she didn't live around here; yes, had been caught out in the earlier rainstorm. No, she wasn't on a Pokémon journey and no, she wasn't going anywhere specific, but yes, she at least had an idea of where she was. No, she didn't like picking berries, but yes, her Pokémon got a steady diet of them (Kio got a rather confused look from her for that one).

"Thank you, really," Dahlia said as she finished her stew. She stood and gathered the rather small bag she had been carrying. "I'm sorry for intruding, I should get out of your way. Just trying to get out of the forest, you know?"

"What are you running from?" Kio asked, more curious than accusing. When he saw the puzzlement on everyone's faces, he added, "Your pack. You didn't bring much, and you're not prepared for any sort of journey. You're running from something."

Dahlia smiled and shook her head. "Lost a lot of my stuff a couple days ago. Some thugs came up and took my hiking pack. Right out of the Pokémon Center in Pewter City, can you believe it?

"But thanks again," she repeated. "I'll be fi-"

"Why don't you stay the night with us?" Sitara asked before Dahlia could leave. "It'll be easier to navigate in the morning, and you... look like you could use a rest."

"Er – yeah." Dahlia smiled gratefully. "Yeah, if you have the space."

"We don't."

Three heads snapped around to look at Kio, who still regarded the newcomer with doubt.

"But you can use my sleeping bag," he said finally. "I'm not tired anyway."

Dahlia nodded her thanks and let the others set up her sleeping space. Eventually, everyone settled down to sleep save Kio, who stood guard all night, his hand still resting on his Pokéball.

When the next morning came, Dahlia helped to clean up the campsite, all the while sniffling and murmuring her many thanks. Milo could finally get a decent look at their guest. Dahlia's dark hair was actually navy blue, dark enough to pass for black, and just past shoulder length. Not a strand of hair was out of place now that she had had a chance to groom herself. Most striking were her eyes: steel gray and piercing, like the sky on a stormy evening. Milo had the strange feeling that he was in trouble every time she looked at him.

They spent just over three hours finding their way out of Viridian Forest, finding their way only when they relied on Kio's gut instincts (apparently, the smell of rocks got stronger as they neared Pewter City). Sitara cheered as the thick trees gave way to a straight road, and the large granite mountains which surrounded Pewter City were visible in the far distance, maybe a day's trip away.

"Where are you going now?" Kio asked curiously as Dahlia stared down the path to Pewter City.

"What do you mean?"

"You said you were just trying to get out of Viridian Forest," Kio said. "We're out. Are you going home?"

"No, I don't -" Dahlia began. Milo thought he heard her sigh. "Nowhere. I don't know."

Sitara glanced at Milo as if to say 'What do we do?'; Milo shrugged in response.

"But thanks again," Dahlia continued, walking away. "Really."

"You could come with us!" Sitara yelled after her. Dahlia stopped but didn't face them. Kio frowned deeply, but Sitara continued, "I mean, if you're really going nowhere. Might as well go nowhere with three others, right?"

Dahlia nodded slowly as she turned around. "Right. You're right." She hesitated, seeing the disapproval on Kio's face. "Only for a while, though. Until Cerulean."

"Great!" Sitara said happily. "Another companion!" She walked back towards the campsite with a small skip in her step. _At least _she's _happy, _Milo thought with another look towards Kio.

As though feeling Milo's confused stare, Kio said simply, "I don't like it." He walked after Sitara, leaving Dahlia to look after him guiltily.


	4. Between Rugged Mountains

**3 – Between Rugged Mountains**

The rest of the day passed quickly and quietly, but Milo found it very tiring. He had never truly appreciated the distance between Viridian and Pewter City; it was always a weekend trip a most, leaving more than enough time to visit the natural science museum. He wondered why Pokémon trainers didn't just drive from town to town.

That night gave Milo the first real night of rest he had had since the week before he had started his Pokémon journey. He could get used to camping and sleeping outdoors, to battling the wild Pokémon that came his way for training, and to ignoring Kio's rants and raves. Now that the excitement of his new adventure had started to wear off, sleep came much easier.

When he awoke the next morning, Milo found that he was the last one sleeping. Kio sat in front of the fire, cooking what smelled like a delicious breakfast, and Sitara and Dahlia were nowhere to be seen. He received just the type of answer he had learned to expect from Kio when he asked where the girls had gone: "Over there somewhere. If you go out looking for them, be careful of wild Aerodactyls. They get fierce this time of year."

Milo went "over there somewhere" but found only thick brush and a few wild Pokémon. He finally discovered Dahlia sitting alone, peering through a thicket as though spying on someone. "What are you -" he started to ask before she shushed him. She motioned for him to come and see, and stood aside with a smile on her face.

He peered curiously through the branches. On the other side, in a near-empty clearing, Sitara danced.

She twirled, her arms in the air, her eyes closed, her face serene. Her ground-length skirt billowed around her, rising up and down with each spin. Next to her, Sitara's Bulbasaur danced as well, its vines waving with the wind and sometimes meeting its master's hands.

Milo's heart raced just watching her. She looked beautiful in the morning sun; better yet, she looked _happy_.

He looked back at Dahlia incredulously. She still smiled the same devious smile. "I saw her leave. I wanted to know where she was going," she said simply. As Milo turned back to watch more of the dance, she added, "She does this every morning, you know."

"What?" he whispered. "How do you know? You haven't even been here every morning."

"When she called out Bulbasaur, it started dancing immediately. It knew what she wanted without her saying. Part of their new morning routine, I guess."

Dahlia let Milo watch a few more moments before grabbing his shoulder, twisting him around so his face met hers. "Listen. She doesn't know we know. So don't tell her. Alright?"

"Why not?"

"Why else would she leave to dance? She'd be embarrassed."

Milo tried to turn his head to watch more, but Dahlia slapped him lightly on the face to get his attention again. "If you don't want to ruin your chances with her, don't say anything," she said harshly, and left him to escape quickly when Sitara stopped dancing.

Milo carefully avoided Sitara's eyes for the last leg of their trip into Pewter City. He was sure that she would be able to see the guilt in his eyes and that she would hate him for it. As they walked, he overheard Sitara whispering to Kio, who shrugged and responded, "I don't know. Maybe he's sick or something."

As they took their first steps into Pewter City, they heard an engine revving behind them. Split seconds later, a blur of blue in the shape of a motorcycle raced past them, and there was hardly enough time to dodge before it was gone again. Dahlia tripped over her high heels in her attempt to not get hit by the speeding bike, falling so fast that her hair flew around her face. Kio pulled her to her feet, muttering, "I don't know why you have to wear those shoes. They're dangerous."

"Yeah, much more dangerous than reckless police on killer bikes," Dahlia snapped, brushing herself off.

They heard Officer Jenny's motorcycle stop not too far into the city, and didn't think much of it. But when they reached the center of town, they found her again, her bike parked precariously in front of the local Pokémart. She was speaking to a frazzled looking man in a hushed tone.

"Just be careful. It could be dangerous if they come around. In fact, you may want to close for the day. We've received reports from the Cerulean City and Viridian City Pokémarts-"

Milo's eyes widened. The police had been at his mother's shop? "Excuse me," he said.

"The store is closed," the store owner snapped. "Come back later."

"No, I need to know," he desperately told Officer Jenny. "You said Viridian City? Is everything okay there?"

"Well," she answered curtly, "I obviously can't just _tell_ y-"

"Please. It's my mother."

Jenny searched for the lie on his face. Unable to find it, her own face softened. "Your mother is fine. Nothing's happened – yet. But we have received some tips that something _could _happen. We warned her only to be safe."

She nodded her goodbyes to them and shop owner. "You be safe, too," she said to the man. "Close up for the day, go home. We'll sort this out." She added with a wink at Milo, "Call your mother."

It took fifteen minutes of his mother reassuring him for Milo to be satisfied that everything was truly alright back home in Viridian City. She closed the shop early, she told him, just as Officer Jenny instructed, and was looking forward to a nice week's vacation. She wouldn't tell him, however, _what _it was that Jenny gave as a reason to close the Pokémart – it was no concern of his, and didn't he have other, more important things to worry about?

Looking at her smiling face through the videophone, seeing the cozy kitchen in the background where a pot of tea boiled, made Milo sigh with homesickness. Even while his friends had gone off on their own Pokémon journeys, he stayed home, keeping his mother company, helping her in the shop. He had never been away from home for so long.

"I am _so _proud of you," Milo's mother said, her eyes welling. She kissed her fingertips and pressed her hand to the screen. The videophone cut to static. Even though it didn't work, Milo was grateful that Sitara pretended not to notice when he sat looking at the empty screen for a minute.

Kio was not quite so forgiving. "Stop it," he said, twisting Milo around by his shoulders. "You just left, no reason to miss it yet. Come on, we have to go."

"Where?" Milo asked suspiciously.

"Train. You'll have your first gym match here, and you have yet to win a real battle. Come on." He walked back towards the front door of the Pokémon Center, and Milo only followed when he realized Kio expected him to.

"Do you even _have _any rock types?" Milo asked.

Kio shook his head. "Nope. Don't need 'em. If you train enough against any type of Pokémon, you grow strong. Type matches are only strategy, guidelines for winning. But a Charmander _can _beat an Onix if it's trained well enough. Now if someone would only tel that to the hoards of people that choose Squirt – er..."

Milo folded his arms.

"It's alright," Kio amended. "Squirtle'll just make it a little easier for you.

"Now, this battle," he said, sitting down in the tall grass, "is more for Squirtle's benefit than yours. It has to learn that you are an able, competent trainer. It hasn't seen that yet. But if you can manage to beat my Butterfree, who knows?"

He released Butterfree. It cooed as it flew far into the air before returning to its trainer. Kio whispered something in its ear; the Butterfree nodded in agreement and flew upwards again to begin its battle.

Milo, a bit nervous, called out his Squirtle. He had no idea how long Kio had been training, or if he had really trained at all. He would have to be on his guard, and Squirtle would have to actually listen and respond to him.

When Squirtle saw that its owner stood behind him yet again, he groaned and turned away as if to say, "Maybe if I pretend I don't see you, you'll disappear." Milo sighed and approached it.

"Squirtle," he said, leaning so he was just above Squirtle's eye-level. "I know we got off to a bad start before, but we're gonna fix that now. See that Butterfree?" He pointed in Kio's direction.

"We're gonna beat it."

"Ready?" Kio called, now laying flat on his back, staring up at the clouds. "I'll give you the first move."

"Er – right." Milo stood back and pointed at the Butterfree again; Butterfree tilted its head at him in a way which reminded him of its master. "Squirtle, use your Water Gun!"

Squirtle paused as though considering disobeying Milo's command, but apparently it figured its pride as a Pokémon was worth more than that. A jet of water shot out of its mouth, fast and sharp enough to break through a window.

Butterfree simply moved a foot to the left, and the water streaked right past it. Kio laughed even though he wasn't watching. "Gotta be faster than that! Butterfree, tackle it!"

Butterfree swept down, almost too fast for Milo to follow, and hit Squirtle square on. Squirtle hit the ground a few times before it recovered and stood up again. _That's right, Squirtle, _Milo thought. _Just get right back up..._

"Good job, Squirtle," Kio said, making Milo realize he should have praised his Pokémon aloud. "But let's see if you can keep up with this. Sleep Powder!"

A fine, white powder fell from Butterfree's wings like snow as it flew over Squirtle. Know that if the attack landed the battle would be over, Milo panicked. "Er, uh—Squirtle! Spray water at the powder! Make sure it doesn't touch you!"

Squirtle looked up and sprayed water into the air. When the commotion was over, Squirtle was soaking wet, but still awake. Kio laughed again.

"Nice thinking! Quick," he said. He closed his eyes and let the sunlight bathe over his face. "Butterfree, tackle it again."

"Dodge it, and counter with another Water Gun!"

Squirtle rolled to avoid Butterfree's hit. Before it had a chance to aim properly, it shot a jet of water in what Milo could only hope was the right direction. It hit, knocking the bug Pokémon out of the air.

Milo gasped; he hadn't expected that to work. "Um—now Scratch attack!"

Squirtle ran up to Butterfree's fallen form and began to claw at it. Butterfree cried out but didn't fight back.

"Stop. That's enough." Kio stood, and Squirtle backed away. Although Butterfree wasn't knocked out, it didn't move from its spot in the grass. "Butterfree doesn't want to battle anymore. You got a lucky shot in."

He paused and smiled. "But sometimes a lucky shot is all you need. Congratulations – you won."

Milo sat in the grass, shocked an exhilarated at his first win. Even Squirtle, who had just a few days ago seemed, at best, completely disinterested in its new trainer, sat next to Milo with a content grin.

"Squirtle respects you now," Kio said, sitting cross-legged on the grass next to him. "Knows you're a capable trainer."

Milo smiled at his new Pokémon. "Well, hopefully 'capable' is enough to beat the gym leader in Pewter City."

"I'm gonna let you in on a little secret," Kio said, and alarms immediately went off in Milo's head. "Brock isn't really...that great of a trainer. In reality, he's just a very bored little boy."

Milo gaped at him. Surely it was wrong to talk about a gym leader in such a way.

"He tries. He's not the best gym leader, but he tries. You know, he wants things to be more interesting in his life, so he changes the rules of his gym battles almost every day." Kio lay back in the grass and grinned up at the sky. "That's one thing you can say about him – you never know what to expect."

"How do you know all this?" Milo asked suspiciously. "Are you friends with him?"

"Oh, no," Kio answered absently. "I've only met him once, a few years ago. But -" he tapped his forehead knowingly. "-I am a very good judge of character."

Milo raised an eyebrow. "Oh, really?"

"Yep." Kio stood to leave, doing nothing about the grass caught and tangled in his messy hair. "Speaking of, I don't like Dahlia. She's suspect."

As Kio walked away, Sitara, who had been watching the battle closely, caught his arm. "You don't know Dahlia yet," she admonished him. "You can't say you don't like her."

Kio shrugged. "First impressions."

"And you -" She lowered her voice so Milo couldn't hear. "-you threw the battle?"

"Don't tell him before the gym match," Kio said with another shrug. "He seemed so proud."

The Pewter City Gym dimly lit, claustrophobically small and, Milo found, a bit creepy. The only light came from torches lining the walls, and they cast shadows that danced over the rocky field. Only two people were immediately visible; a young gym trainer idly reclining on top of a boulder, his toes tapping the stone, and Brock, the gym leader. Milo wasn't aware of how nervous he was until he thought his stomach disappeared.

As they entered, both Brock and the gym trainer jumped to their feet. "Ah, new challengers!" Brock exclaimed. "So which of you is here to face me?"

"These two," Kio said, pointing with both hands towards Milo and Sitara.

Brock didn't seem to hear him. He narrowed his eyes at the pink-haired boy. "Hey, I remember you. You almost blew up my gym!"

There was a small, proud smile on Kio's face as Brock added, "You never did pay for the damages..."

Dahlia stayed back towards the entrance as Milo and Sitara made their last minute preparations for the gym battle. She crossed her arms and leaned against the doorway, scrutinizing the scene in front of her, and ignored the gym trainer when he popped up next to her.

He slicked his hair back with his hand and smiled down at her. "So... you a Pokémon trainer?"

"More of one than you'll ever be." Dahlia didn't even look at him.

"Well?" Sitara asked Milo. "Which of us is going against him first?"

"Tell you what," Brock said with a sly grin. "You both wanna battle, fine. You'll both battle at the same time!"

"What?" Sitara gasped.

"A two-on-two battle," Brock proposed. "You each choose a Pokémon. I'll choose two and take you both on at the same time."

"Well, er..." Sitara looked uncertainly at Milo. "This is only our first gym battle -"

"All the better to break you both in," Brock laughed. "What do you say?"

"I say bring it on!" Milo exclaimed. His earlier battle with Kio had given him a confidence boost; he could surely take on Brock, especially with Sitara's help.

"Are you sure?" Kio said doubtfully. "This won't be like any battle you've ever -"

"We'll do it," Milo said. He put his hands on Sitara's shoulders, and smiled. "We'll do it, and we'll both get the badge."

Sitara nodded back slowly.

"Alright!" Brock yelled and clapped his hands together. "Let's get this show on the road! Onix, Graveler! Come on out!"

Two jets of bright red light revealed the two rock Pokémon. The gigantic Onix towered over them all, its head narrowly missing the lights dangling from the ceiling. Graveler was tiny in comparison, but still thudded heavily when it took a few steps forward.

The young gym trainer inched closer to Dahlia. "So, uh, you on a journey? That's cool." This did nothing but earn a menacing glare in return.

"Each of you, call out one," Brock said.

"Then I pick Bulbasaur!" Sitara tossed her Pokéball; Milo did the same next to her.

"Squirtle, go!"

"Aha, a challenge!" Brock said, rubbing his hands together again in excitement.

Doubt washed over Milo as the battle began. What was he thinking? He had only won one real battle, and he had never learned any strategies for a double battle with another trainer. What if he and Sitara couldn't synchronize their attacks well enough to defeat this boy? Worse yet, what if he failed her?

He was ecstatic to find that these fears, at least for now, were ungrounded. Graveler was easy enough to take down. What it possessed in brute strength, it lacked in speed, and it was unable to dodge the attacks of two Pokémon at once. Within minutes, Brock declared Graveler "unable to battle."

Onix, though, was another story. For a creature so massive, both Sitara's Bulbasaur and Milo's Squirtle found it near impossible to land an attack strong enough to do any real damage. Even when an attack did hit, the sheer force of Onix's weight promised a pummeling for the other Pokémon.

Bulbasaur and Squirtle were tired, and Milo was running out of ideas.

By the look on her face, Sitara was, as well. She inhaled sharply and, frustrated, blew the hair out of her face as Onix's massive tail nearly flattened Bulbasaur. No matter the type advantage that both she and her partner had – one physical attack like that would likely end it.

The bulb that went off over her head could practically light the whole room. "We gotta do it all at once!" she yelled to Milo. "Attack the same place at the same time!"

Milo understood completely. "On three! One, two -

"Squirtle, Water Gun!"

"Bulbasaur, Razor Leaf!"

A flourish of sword-sharp leaves combined with a jet of water, and collided with the center of Onix's huge stone body. It roared in pain and shook off the water, thrashing so that its tail nearly hit both of its opponents.

Neither trainer hesitated. "Again!" they yelled.

This time the attack struck Onix's face. It roared again, a pained sound that almost made Milo feel sorry for it.

He held his breath as he waited for something to happen. Onix froze in place, and the seconds dragged out to hours. The giant rock Pokémon finally shuddered and hit the ground hard.

"Onix is unable to battle!" Brock announced. "The challengers are the winners!"

Milo's mouth dropped open. He certainly hadn't heard that correctly.

If the gym leader was disappointed at his loss, he didn't let his face betray him as he crossed the rocky field. "They're yours." Milo could only watch in wonder as Brock handed the two trainers tiny, steel-gray octagons. Their new badges. Their first badges. "Congratulations."

"So, uh, listen," the gym assistant said, now leaning entirely too close to Dahlia's face. "You wanna go out, maybe get some dinner or -"

Dahlia turned up her face to meet his, mere inches away. She licked her lips sensually, and the trainer gulped in anticipation.

"You talk to me again," she breathed, "and I will end you."

Milo looked back and forth between the Boulder Badge in his hand and Sitara's shining face. Without thinking, he threw his arms around her, and there was a funny, ticklish feeling in his stomach when she returned the hug.

"Excuse me, excuse me!"

Milo's eyes widened as they left the Pewter Gym. A young news reporter with dark blue hair and a movie star smile rushed towards them, a cameraman trailing not far behind. Before Milo could react, a microphone was shoved in his face.

"We're with Jubilife TV, all the way from Sinnoh," the reporter said. His accent was vaguely foreign, but Milo couldn't place it. "We're doing a piece on the new group of trainers who have just started their journeys, yes, yes. Could we perhaps ask you all a few questions about your first win?"

"I-I don't -" Milo stammered. He was irked to see that Sitara smiled flirtatiously at the handsome man.

"Of course," she said. "We'd be happy to."

"Wonderful," the reporter said. He motioned for the cameraman to start filming.

As the interview went on, Milo became more and more nervous, Sitara more coy; the reporter paid more attention to the young girl, eventually ignoring Milo altogether.

"And what is your strategy for the next couple of gyms?"

"Well, we obviously can't give _everything _away," Sitara said with a sly grin. "But we'll have to train hard, study types, think unconventionally—anything for that advantage. Right, Milo?"

"Uh – right," Milo said stupidly.

When the camera stopped filming, the reporter with the strange accent thanked Sitara a bit _too _enthusiastically. They gave their full names to the cameraman, who recorded them on a pad of paper.

"And, uh, how 'bout yous two?" the cameraman asked, pointing at Kio and Dahlia.

"I'm Kio," Kio said without making eye contact with him.

"Last name?"

"Doesn't matter. I'm not a new trainer."

The cameraman sighed and turned to Dahlia. "And you?"

"Me, either," she said simply. "Are we done here?"

Milo somewhat wished they were done, too, when the reporter kissed Sitara's hand in farewell.

The reporter and cameraman disappeared, having spotted a group of trainers standing in front of the Pewter Museum of Science. Sitara couldn't stop giggling with excitement over the prospect of being on television (and maybe with giddiness over her new crush?), and Kio provided her with the perfect audience, indulging her every boast.

Milo, despite the reporter, was just as excited, and felt a restless energy coursing through his body. All the wins of the day, and now a television interview – he could take on the world. "Hey, Dahlia," he said enthusiastically. "You said you're not a new trainer, right? Then you _are _a trainer. Why don't we battle?"

Dahlia raised an eyebrow, and without a word drew a Pokéball from her pocket. Laughing, Milo did the same. But before he could even call out a Pokémon, a Haunter appeared mere feet in front of him, and he heard Dahlia order:

"Haunter, use Hypnosis."

Confused, Milo looked from her towards the attacking Pokémon. Before he knew it, his eyelids drooped and he felt his body fall to the ground.

'_I won't be gone long. Just some things I have to take care of.'_

_ The white-haired man kissed the tears on Milo's mother's face as she asked, 'And your son?' Milo never understood why she cried so much._

_ 'He'll be fine. Once I fix this, things will be better for him, too.'_

When Milo woke a few minutes later, Dahlia and Haunter stood over him.

"If you can't withstand that," Dahlia said as Haunter poked out its tongue at him, "you can't withstand a battle with me. Try again after you get to the Pokémon League."

Milo groaned and let his head hit the ground again. Kio said, laughing, "Hope they caught _that _on camera."


	5. A Mountain Where a Star Fell

**4 – A Mountain Where a Star Fell**

"Yes!" Sitara's voice echoed towards the sky. She held a Pokéball high above her head and laughed. Her Bulbasaur seemed to cheer along with her; even Dahlia couldn't help but crack a smile.

"You're lucky," she said. "Diglett will be really useful, especially when we get to Vermilion."

"Misty will drown it, though," Kio added thoughtfully. "Can't use it there."

Sitara called out her new Pokémon. Diglett sat and, although it was a bit battered from its battle, grinned up towards her. "It's not all strategy, though," she said, reaching down to pat the Diglett on its head. "I'm just happy to have another friend to travel along with."

A pang of jealousy hit Milo in the stomach. Besides Growlithe and Squirtle, he hadn't yet been able to catch any new Pokémon. They all either ran away or were much too strong for him to catch. He had no idea how others, including Sitara, built up their teams so easily.

He had tried going to Dahlia for help, but she just made him feel even worse. As a practice match, she had battled Kio, her Hypno versus his Butterfree, and it had been a stalemate; the two only stopped when the battle ran into dinner. Both were much too strong for Milo to even _think _about battling just yet. But what amazed Milo the most was her battle style. She seemed to dance rather than command her Pokémon, constantly moving, graceful but almost as active as the Pokémon itself.

When he asked her where she had learned to battle like that, she said simply, "Training. Like you should be." A bit more prodding, and Milo got a piece of her story. She was from Blackthorn City, she had said, all the way from Johto, and had trained both there with Blackthorn's dragon gym leader Clair, and even further away in the Sinnoh region with Fantina. Certainly an impressive resume, and one that showed that Dahlia was not to be trifled with.

It was still early in the evening, but the sky darkened above and the gentle breeze became a cold wind. Mt. Moon loomed overhead as the four companions set up camp. Sitara's new Diglett ran back and forth through the dirt, happily pushing supplies and firewood to its new trainer. As the first claps of thunder sounded, Milo suddenly remembered that he hadn't bought her an umbrella in Viridian City and felt strangely guilty.

As fast as they worked, Milo noticed that neither Dahlia nor Kio were helping. He was annoyed, but said nothing, knowing that the most he would get in return would be a snide remark and a blank stare. Dahlia sat on a tree stump, an unlit cigarette held delicately between her long fingers, while Kio stood, head cocked to one side, staring at her.

This continued for a few seconds before Dahlia finally noticed him. "...What?"

Kio's eyes narrowed at her. "Why are you so short?" he asked slowly. She only rolled her eyes and lit her cigarette in the growing campfire.

They all spent the night joking and laughing around the fire. A few of the jokes were at Dahlia's expense – at least, until the look on her face told them all to expect bodily harm very, very soon. But, at least for Milo, this was the first night that they truly felt comfortable around each other. _Good, _he thought. _Maybe I won't be miserable for the next few months._

He looked around the circle at his companions. Dahlia, with her hood shielding her from the bitter wind, the smoke from her cigarette blowing up and away into the trees. Kio and his wild pink hair flopping about his face, absently making eye contact with every tree but none of them. And Sitara, her face glowing in the dancing light of the fire.

Milo smiled. This journey was a wonderful idea.

A sudden thought struck him. "Uh – am I the only one here who likes my shoes, or...?" It was true: save Milo, everyone's toes were wiggling in the cool dirt.

Dahlia pretended to glare at him. "You ever gone hiking in high heels? It hurts."

Sitara laughed and offered her excuse. "I just like the feeling of the ground beneath my feet. I would go barefoot all the time if I could." Everyone looked at Kio, waiting to hear his response.

"I-I think I lost mine," he said, standing up, his eyebrows furrowed in confusion. "I should go find them."

Dahlia raised an eyebrow. "How did you -" Sitara shook her head, an obvious signal not to ask.

While Kio searched for his missing sneakers, the sky grew darker and the clouds more menacing. Sitara looked up worriedly when the first peal of thunder sounded. "Guys, it's about to storm," she said. "I don't think we should be out here."

"There's gonna be a tornado," Kio said, peering around branches.

"How do you know?" Milo asked.

"The clouds are shaped funny," Kio answered, "and the sky is turning green."

"The sky doesn't turn green in a tornado, and the sky isn't -" Dahlia stopped as she remembered the 'don't ask' signal. "Fine, well, we should get back to the Pokémon Center, just in case. Make sure we have shelter tonight."

The first drops of rain fell just as the group reached Pewter City's Pokémon Center. "Thank goodness you got back here in time!" Nurse Joy exclaimed as she and Chansey hustled about, gathering blankets and supplies and making sure the injured Pokémon were cared for. "There's a huge storm moving in, a tornado touched down just south of Cerulean Cape. No one should be out in this weather!"

Kio smiled knowingly. "Told you. It's all in the green clouds."

Chansey hurried to the new group, handed them a bundle of blankets and hurried away. From behind the counter, Nurse Joy kept talking: "You all have to stay down here until the storm passes. No rooms, and the cafeteria is closed. This is the safest place you can be right now."

"We sleep here tonight, I guess," Milo said, resigned to a night of sleeping on the floor under a flimsy blanket. He and Sitara scouted out an empty corner of the room to be their temporary bed, while Kio and Dahlia took their Pokémon to be healed, a process that took much longer than usual because of the chaos of preparations.

Amidst the chaos, the four sat on the floor together, talking and laughing as they had around the fire.

Other trainers trickled into the Pokémon Center, soaking wet, seeking shelter from the growing storm. Soon the floor was filled with dozens of blankets, about fifteen chattering trainers and their Pokémon. Eventually, it grew late and the noise died down as the trainers fell asleep; even Nurse Joy finally sat exhausted behind the counter and rested.

Milo soon started to nod off himself, sitting up against the wall. Only Dahlia was still talking to him; Kio had curled up in the corner with no blankets at all, and Sitara had just fallen asleep sitting up next to Milo. He quickly woke up, though, when Sitara's head fell onto his shoulder.

After the initial shock, he relaxed and smiled contently – at least, until Dahlia snorted in quiet laughter. "Excited, huh?" she said.

"N-no," he stammered. He motioned towards Sitara, trying not to wake her. "Just... she fell asleep, and -"

"Yeah, yeah," Dahlia dismissed him. She studied his face for a second before adding, "She smells good, huh?"

"Yeah," he whispered without thinking. "Roses and linen."

Dahlia, instead of laughing again, rolled her eyes and groaned. "Are you _serious_, Milo?" she asked, a blistering edge to her question.

"_What?_" Milo mentally replayed what he said; it might have been a bit creepy, but it hadn't been _that _bad, had it?

"Guys only know what girls smell like when they like them," Dahlia said exasperatedly.

"What?" Milo repeated. "No, that's not true."

"He's right," Kio's voice piped up, even though he gave no sign that he had been listening. "I mean, I know what _you _smell like, Dahlia, and I don't like you at all."

Both Milo and Dahlia stared at Kio in disbelief.

"Cigarettes and vanilla," Kio continued. "Lots of mint to cover up the cigarettes."

Dahlia inhaled sharply. "We're gonna pretend you never, ever said that, okay?"

Kio shrugged but stayed curled up in his little ball.

_"Anyway."_ Dahlia covered herself with her blanket, getting ready to sleep. "Thing is, you two are going to be living in close quarters for quite a while. If you like her, do it quietly, or it'll get awkward. Things'll fall apart. And I'm not cleaning up after your messes when they do." With that, she turned towards the wall.

After a few minutes, Milo began to nod off again, thinking about what Dahlia had told him, and how much of a creep he must be to notice what Sitara smelled of every day. But even he couldn't deny how disappointed he was when Sitara half-awoke to apologize and find her own space on the floor, far away from his shoulder.

Just as his eyes closed, he heard the door to the Pokémon Center open and the sound of the pounding rain and thunder outside. Footsteps – lots of them. Trainers, he guessed, who gotten caught in the storm far from shelter. Nurse Joy bustling around to get supplies for them. "Oh, my, is your Venomoth hurt?" he heard her ask.

A woman's shrill, lilting voice answered, mocking Joy's concern. "_Oh, no. _Venomoth is just fine. Would you like to see?

"Venomoth. Stun Spore."

Milo's eyes snapped open just in time to see a fine white powder fall over him. He tried to turn and wake Sitara or Dahlia but quickly and painfully found that his body wouldn't cooperate. Every muscle felt as though it were turning in on itself, cramping and tensing until he couldn't move. He tried to yell, but his mouth remained shut and all he could muster was a pained grunt.

Something wasn't right. There was not just one Venomoth flying about about him; at least twenty fluttered around, spreading their paralyzing powder over every trainer in the Pokémon Center. Out of the corner of his eye Milo could see many trainers still standing, dressed all in black, their faces covered. Still moving.

He heard Sitara moan in fear next to him. He tried to reach over, to comfort her, but with every attempted movement his muscles felt as though they would tear apart.

A trainer spoke, the woman, Milo realized, with the piercing voice. "Aww, does it hurt?" she asked. Milo heard Nurse Joy let out a low groan in response. "Don't worry, Stun Spore wears off soon enough. Of course, we'll be long gone by then."

She snapped her fingers. In an instant, there was a flurry of movement; the other trainers in black hurried about, leaning over the terrified people on the ground, reaching into pockets and bags, snatching valuables and Pokéballs. There were grunts and muffled cries of protest, but the ones in black only snickered and moved faster.

Milo's breath quickened as he racked his brain for a plan. He was off in a far corner of the room, far from the desk where he guessed the trainers in black were, hardly visible from the front of the Pokémon Center. But there were so many of them, and if he heard the footsteps coming near him there would be nothing he could do besides watch helplessly as they stole Growlithe and Squirtle.

The next few minutes felt like hours. With every shadow that passed over his face, he expected someone's face to appear over his, a twisted grin on its face, and for his Pokémon journey to end then and there. And so he waited, and flinched with every footstep.

With relief he realized the Stun Spore was, as the shrill-voiced woman said, wearing off; with some effort and much less pain, Milo could bend the fingers on his left hand. _Fat lot of good that does me_, he thought with disgust. _Four wiggling fingers aren't going to stop anyone..._

There was another snap of the woman's fingers, and as suddenly as it all had started, the commotion in the Pokémon Center stopped. "See, it didn't take long," she said. "It's beginning to wear off some of you right now. I believe _that _is our cue to exit."

"Thanks for the kind donation!" another voice rang out as the trainers in black started to leave.

"Cass," yet another voice said. Deep and gravelly, as though the man had a cold. "There's some more left over there."

The breath caught in Milo's throat. He could hear someone weeping next to him.

"Leave them," the woman said finally. "Let's not get greedy. We don't need theirs anyway, with all of these."

The front door slammed shut, and blew open again. The storm raged outside.

Half an hour later, the Pokémon Center was just as chaotic as it had been before. Everyone in the room could move again, and much of that movement included frantic gestures and pleas to the police which now swarmed the building. Nothing Nurse Joy or Officer Jenny said could calm the panicked trainers.

"Please, they took my Psyduck..."

"I swear, if I ever catch the guy that stole my Onix -"

Everyone was frantic, that is, save Kio, who hadn't moved – or even awoken – from his curled-up little ball in the corner. Milo shook his head and vaguely wondered if Dahlia and Sitara would let him leave Kio there.

He looked up expectantly as Sitara walked slowly back from where she had been speaking with Jenny."Team Rocket," she said simply.

His mouth fell open. "That – how is that possible?" he sputtered. Team Rocket had disbanded three years ago, he thought, when some kid from Pallet Town had taken the whole group down.

Sitara seemed to read his mind. "Guess they weren't gone after all."

Dahlia's face was oddly blank; she hadn't spoken since before the Rockets had raided the Pokémon Center. Sitara sat in front of her on the ground, and Dahlia flinched slightly when she reached out to smooth her hair. "You okay?" Sitara asked.

"We have to go," Dahlia said evenly. "Wake Kio up. We need to get to Cerulean."


End file.
